A Tranquil Moment
by daeyeth
Summary: Tsunade and Jiraiya share a moment.


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**A Tranquil Moment**

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Jiraiya walked around outside with a silly grin on his face and his cheeks flushed red. They weren't flushed from the heat of the sun, but rather from a pleasant encounter he had involving a public bath house. On the other hand, the ending turned out to be equally unpleasant, but it was all worth it as far as the Great Pervert Hermit was concerned. "This is going to be great stuff for the next volume of Icha Icha Paradise! Eheh..." He stopped in his steps as he noticed a familiar person sitting on the grass off to the side of the road. The woman had her arms around her knees and was looking off into the distance with a nostalgic expression. "Hm?" 

A mischievous idea popped into his head, causing his a wide smirk to cross his mouth. He crept up from behind the woman, hands making grabbing motions in anticipation of his next move, but then caught a glimpse of her expression more closely. Her eyes were tired with a soft undertone of sadness. That surprised him, for he knew the woman well. His less than moral thoughts soon vanished and he decided on a different approach.

"Yo."

The woman looked up, surprised and a bit apprehensive to be found, but her features soon relaxed as she realized who it was. "Oh. Hi Jiraiya."

Jiraiya sat down next to her. "So what's up? How's life as the Queen of Konoha?"

The woman continued to stare off into the distance and replied in a flat tone, "Fine..."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at her answer. His eyes softened and his expression appeared serious. "Something wrong Tsunade?"

Tsunade didn't reply immediately, her eyes still sad and tired. "Oh, nothing...it's just..."

"You can tell me."

"...It's just...I'm so tired of this life Jiraiya. I'm tired of being Hokage, tired of making decisions that could cost people's lives or cause a war, tired of being relied upon by everyone...I'm just tired," she said, sounding almost frustrated as she let it all out. "Jiraiya...why didn't you become Hokage instead? Why did you have to push all of this on to me?" She didn't look at him, but simply continued to stare out into the scenery with a distant gaze.

Jiraiya blinked, surprised by the confession. He looked at Tsunade carefully. He watched her hair blow in the wind and her lips quivering as the crisp air clung to her skin, causing goosebumps. Her eyes were indeed tired with small lines under her eyes, both from the passage of time and an overwhelming stress. 'Beautiful...' came the thought into Jiraiya's mind.

He shook his head and finally looked away, a small grin on his face. "Heh, what are you talking about Tsunade-hime? Me, Hokage? You know I'm not the type. I'd probably just use all that power to make rule that would say 'Hokage is allowed access to all public baths, male and female.'" Despite herself, her lips quirked upwards slightly into a ghost of a smile. Jiraiya continued. "No, you'll always be a much better Hokage than me. After all, you were a medic. You used to make life or death decisions everyday. Nothing's changed now that you're Hokage, you're still saving lives."

Tsunade didn't respond.

On impulse, he wrapped his coat around her, then plopped back onto the grass casually to stare up at the clouds. "Silly girl, don't think about it too much. It's not like you to worry so much."

Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya, surprised, but he had closed his eyes and was letting the peaceful environment pull him in. Tsunade spoke while he lay in the grass.

"Silly girl? I'm over fifty you know."

Jiraiya replied with his eyes still closed, but a grin on his face, "You'll always be the stupid flat-chested girl to me."

"Hey!"

They shared a small laugh. The laughter died out quickly and a peaceful silence overtook them. They sat together, Jiraiya lounging back in the grass, hands behind his head and eyes closed, and Tsunade staring out into the mesmorizing forest, chin on her knees.

Tsunade spoke again after a while. "When did you start calling me Tsunade-hime and not the 'stupid flat-chested girl' you oh-so-affectionately named me?"

Jiraiya didn't reply immediately. "When I tried asking you out."

The answer stunned Tsunade and an awkward air passed briefly.

He chuckled to himself, but it came out sounding almost forced. "You just laughed at me but I probably deserved it. I was a snot-nosed little brat back then."

There was a silence again. Jiraiya heard some shuffling and was surprised when he suddenly felt the weight of another body on his chest. Jiraiya opened his eyes to see Tsunade resting on him, eyes shut, using his chest as a pillow. Before he could say anything, Tsunade clung to the fabric of his shirt and said, "Let me rest here for a bit. I have to go back to the office soon."

It took a second, but then he just nodded, and closed his eyes again. The two let nature embrace them. In their quiet serenity, they heard the whisper of the wind, the rustle of the leaves, and the songs of the birds. The melody of nature eased their nerves and their worries washed away, letting them relax. He wrapped his arms around her. The two lay there in the grass, content smiles on both their faces.

For just that moment, they were the only two people in the world

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A/N: Jiraiya called Tsunade "stupid flat-chested girl" when they were kids in the anime during a flashback.  



End file.
